Monday, March 12, 2012

Are you a fresh fruits and vegetable buying kind of person looking for the best way to keep them all fresh?

Are you a fresh fruits and vegetable buying kind of person looking for the best way to keep them all fresh?

At our house, we purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. With the warmer months ahead of us, this should be on all our minds as a great way to add a little healthy to our meals (for a less expensive in season price.) Our 8 year old son has ADHD & Aspergers, keeping his diet clear of preservatives makes managing his symptoms so much easier. I find myself going to the farmers market, and stocking up on all kinds of fresh fruit and vegetables. Then I get home and it seems within a matter of days it all goes bad. So that is when I started searching for the best ways to store it all, to keep it all fresh longer. Here is what I have come up with. Fruits and veggies all emit a gas called ethylene, some just emit more than others. The key to keeping your fruits and veggies fresh longer, is to know which emit the most, and how to store them all, and what to store them with. The organicauthority.com was a great source of information regarding this.

Plan your meals for the week before you go shopping and create a shopping list (Food on the table is a great resource for creating a healthy & affordable shopping list based on sale prices at your local stores, and your specific diet specifications. I use this, and I love it. Even though I love creating a great deal on my own, this takes the guessing work out of finding an inexpensive and healthy shopping list.This service is great for allergies and gluten free as well. We have quite a strict diet in our house, gluten free, fresh fruits and veggies, and a nut free home due to an allergy.)

Only buy what's on your shopping list (very important to sticking to your budget)

Eat and or cook the produce with the shortest shelf life first (or cut it up and freeze it, instead of buying packaged or canned fruits or veggies)

If you still can't manage to eat all of your fruits and veggies, throw them in your compost pile (along with your food prep scraps)

Follow These Food Storage Guidelines

Produce

Storage

Life Expectancy

Apples

refrigerator (loose, not in bag)

up to 1 month

Apricots, Nectarines, Peaches, Plums

counter until ripe, then refrigerate in a bag

2-4 days

Artichokes

refrigerator, in a bag

1-2 weeks

Asparagus

refrigerator, trim stems, upright in a jar of water

3-4 days

Avocados

counter, store uneaten portion with the pit intact in a bag in the fridge

3-4 days

Bananas

counter

2 days

Berries & Cherries

covered in the fridge. Don’t wash until you use them (too much moisture in the package speeds spoilage).

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About Me

Hi, my name is Jennifer, a 30 something stay at home mommy/blogger, PR friendly, self proclaimed coffee connoisseur, mother of 4 children, & wife to my high school sweetheart. My goal is to help you save money and have fun doing it.